Americans Quite Tolerant of Activist Judges
Analysis: As the nebulous concept of 'judicial activism' swirls around the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, political scientist James L. Gibson examines what Americans think is in the fog.
Browsing Tag
Legal Affairs
170 posts
Should Minors Ever Face Life Without Parole?
Four years ago the high court decided no minor should face the death penalty. Now it's poised to determine if youths should face life without a chance of parole.
High Court Recognizes Imperfections at Crime Labs
A 5-4 majority at the nation's highest court finds that the work of crime labs is not infallible, and defendants have a right to make that clear.
Keystone Cops at the Police Lab
Compromised crime laboratories are a national scandal that can't be set straight until the labs are independent of law enforcement.
Bias and the Big Fingerprint Dust-Up
Cognitive neuroscientist Itiel Dror finds that analysis of fingerprint data by human examiners can be ruined by unintentional bias. But he offers some relatively simple fixes that can improve the odds of reliable results.
May It Diminish the Court
Hyperbolic attack ads from advocacy groups have diminished the popular esteem of the U.S. Supreme Court in the past, so as the campaign to place Sonia Sotomayor fires up, a little restraint is in order.
Get a Life? Not If You Want to Be One of the Nine
The debate building up to the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings suggests that real-world experiences are of suspect value in administering the law. Really?
Jury Out on Girls-Only Juvie Programs
Despite more than a decade's worth of attention on programs aimed at girls and crime, researchers know little about whether these programs work better than other efforts.
Top-Notch Lawyers Create a Sort of Attorneys Sans Frontières
Attorneys who put the 'pro' in pro bono start girdling the globe to offer free help for countries struggling to implement the rule of law.
Why Fewer Murder Cases Get Solved These Days
A new study by three FBI officials suggests that cooperation — whether by witnesses or even other departments — is the key to closing more murder cases.